Book Birthdays! For the last bits of July 😁

It's Book Birthday time!!

In this weekly post, I talk about a few of the books I'm excited to read that are hitting shelves this week.  Are you with me on any of these? Are there books coming out you're running to the store or stalking your mailman for that I haven't mentioned here?  Hey, feel free to comment and sell me on them! :D

And don't forget to enter down below for a chance to win ANY July YA book your little heart desires! 🎁

Contagion

by Erin Bowman

The description of this one looks super creepy! I've actually never read this author but this looks like it might be a good place to start! Love a good spine-tingley space story. 
{HarperTeen}
Amazon  •   BookDepository

Between Frost and Fury

by Chani Lynn Feener

I've been wanting to read this first is this space series, a story of a girl being mistaken for alien royalty. It sounds so good and now book two is out. So do I wait for book three or get started?  

{Swoon Reads}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

Sea Witch
by Sarah Henning

Very excited for this one! I've heard amazing things about it and love all things about sea mythologies, be it sea witches, mermaids, selkies, sirens, etc. So of course this one has been on my must-read list for a long time!

{Katherin Tegen Books}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

 

The Darkest Legacy

by Alexandra Bracken

I actually haven't read this series! But it looks amazing and I'm always tempted to start it when a new installment comes out, especially with this being the last. Plus I love Alexandra Bracken's other work!

{Disney-Hyperion}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

Lovely, Dark, and Deep
by Justina Chen

As someone with a touch of light sensitivity myself, I can't imagine the struggle of having an extreme case.  Especially as something new to have to cope with after knowing a life in the sun.  This sounds scary and heartbreaking and bittersweet. 

{Arthur A. Levine Books}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

The Land of Yesterday

by K.A. Reynolds

Not YA, but excited for this one! I've started this and the writing is very haunting and beautiful and  I love it so far!  Can't wait to dig in deeper!

{HarperCollins}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

Already time to say goodbye to July!  Wow. This year is flying by. 

*       *       *       *       *  

Enter to win any YA book published in July 2018!

(note: this is the same giveaway entry form in all book birthday posts for the month.)

One winner will win a YA July 2018 release of their choice! *see note below
• Contest ends July 31st, 2018 at 11:59 PM
• Must be 13 or older.
• Open internationally. *International winners will be required to choose a book that is available through BookDepository.com or Fishpond.com up to $20 value.
•Extra entries can be earned by commenting on any BOOK BIRTHDAY POSTS or  REVIEWS, and can be done once per post. Come back throughout July whenever you comment on our reviews and get your extra points!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Birthdays! {The 2-week edition 😁} July18, weeks 2 and 3

It's Book Birthday time!!

In this weekly post, I talk about a few of the books I'm excited to read that are hitting shelves this week.  Are you with me on any of these? Are there books coming out you're running to the store or stalking your mailman for that I haven't mentioned here?  Hey, feel free to comment and sell me on them! :D

And don't forget to enter down below for a chance to win ANY July YA book your little heart desires! 🎁

Fawkes

by Nadine Brandes

I'm actually reading this one now, and I can tell you--this magical spin on the Guy Fawkes legend is excellent! Such a unique magical world!
{Thomas Nelson}
Amazon  •   BookDepository

Like Never and Always

by Ann Aguirre

A girl wakes up after a car accident in her best friend's body!! How creepy does this sound? Very excited to check this one out.  

{TorTeen}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

Year of Living Awkwardly
by Emma Chastain

When my YA bookshelves are stuffed with high fantasies, sometimes all I need is something that looks just fun and adorkable! In Chloe's sophomore year, she's navigating high school theatre let-downs, divorced parents, and wayward best friend.

{Simon Pulse}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

 

V

 

Bright We Burn

by Kiersten White

In need to catch up with this series! I was so intrigued by book one, And I Darken, so I'll have to jump back in sometime soon and see where the lives of Lada, Mehmed, and Radu led them!

{Delacorte Press}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

I'll be doing the next weeks 3 and 4 together also---this rarely happens but I guess there aren't many books I'm super excited for this month!!

*       *       *       *       *  

Enter to win any YA book published in July 2018!

(note: this is the same giveaway entry form in all book birthday posts for the month.)

One winner will win a YA July 2018 release of their choice! *see note below
• Contest ends July 31st, 2018 at 11:59 PM
• Must be 13 or older.
• Open internationally. *International winners will be required to choose a book that is available through BookDepository.com or Fishpond.com up to $20 value.
•Extra entries can be earned by commenting on any BOOK BIRTHDAY POSTS or  REVIEWS, and can be done once per post. Come back throughout July whenever you comment on our reviews and get your extra points!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Save the Date by Morgan Matson {review}

Save the Date
by Morgan Matson
♦publisher: Simon & Schuster BYR
♦release date: June 5th, 2018
♦hardcover, 417 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone, contemporary
♦source: ARC from publisher for review consideration

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

{Amy's Thoughts}

Morgan Matson does it again, with a delightful, refreshing read that makes the perfect summer escape.

 A contemporary, coming of age read, Save the Date delivers everything you have come to expect from Morgan Matson.  Charming, sweet, and paired with authentic voices, Morgan Matson makes her readers feel as if they have been swept into the book, living the experience, not just reading it.

June is usually all about weddings and, Save The Date is no exception. However, this time it’s all about the things that can go wrong, and the lengths it takes to make them right.  While each wedding disaster seems to grow in intensity, each problem is believable, as well as relatable, however maybe not in the magnitude in which these present themselves.  With an old crush returning and the possibility of a new relationship,there is just enough love to make you feel hopeful.  With almost too many problems than two people can resolve, like a missing tuxedo, family drama, electrical problems at the house, and a random dog dropped off for the weekend the angst and tension will drive you to speed read through the chapters. A true portrayal of a realistic family with reliaistic problems hidden from the public, this book will make you really think about balancing work demands with family demands and ultimately who pays the price when the scales get tipped. However, in true Morgan Matson fashion, the heart of her plot lines and her characters always prevail.  

A wild ride, highlighting every chaotic event that can happen with a wedding at home, ultimately falls back on one main principle; you can get through anything, as long as family sticks together.  Morgan Matson’s ease of writing and storytelling will sweep you away to a backyard wedding filled with its own share of ups and downs, love, heartache, comedy, and most of all family.  Throw this book in your bag on your way to a summer vacation, or to sit poolside, either way it will leave you with the desire to start new family traditions, or run out for an epic battle of capture the flag in the middle of the night.

•ABOUT THE AUTHOR•

Morgan Matson was born in New York City and grew up there and in Greenwich, Connecticut. She attended Occidental College as a theater major, but halfway through, switched her focus to writing and never looked back. She received an MFA in Writing for Children from the New School, and then a second MFA in Screenwriting from USC.  She is the New York Times bestselling author of five books, all published by Simon & Schuster.  She currently lives in Los Angeles with her rescue terrier, Murphy, in a house with blue floors that’s overflowing with books.

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •   INSTAGRAM

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine. A spin-off of the meme called "Can't Wait Wednesday" is now hosted at Wishful Endings. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Waking Forest

by Alyssa Wees

hitting shelves March 12th, 2019  

from Delacorte Press

Pan’s Labyrinth meets The Hazel Wood in this novel about a girl with terrifying visions and a wish-granting witch whose lives collide in the most unexpected of ways.

The waking forest has secrets. To Rhea, it appears like a mirage, dark and dense, at the very edge of her backyard. But when she reaches out to touch it, the forest vanishes. She’s desperate to know more—until she finds a peculiar boy who offers to reveal its secrets. If she plays a game.

To the Witch, the forest is her home, where she sits on her throne of carved bone, waiting for dreaming children to beg her to grant their wishes. One night, a mysterious visitor arrives and asks her what she wishes for, but the Witch sends him away. And then the uninvited guest returns.

The strangers are just the beginning. Something is stirring in the forest, and when Rhea’s and the Witch’s paths collide, a truth more treacherous and deadly than either could ever imagine surfaces. But how much are they willing to risk to survive?

My thoughts:  I thought at first glance of this cover that it was an MG book, but I would have wanted it either way!! Turns out, it looks to be a enticingly creepy-sounding YA---wishes and witches and creepy dark woods... and I. Cannot. Wait!! 

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine. A spin-off of the meme called "Can't Wait Wednesday" is now hosted at Wishful Endings. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Stolen Time

by Danielle Rollins

hitting shelves February 5th, 2019  

from Harper Teen

Seattle, 1913 // Dorothy is trapped. Forced into an engagement to a wealthy man just so she and her mother can live comfortably for the rest of their days, she’ll do anything to escape. Including sneaking away from her wedding and bolting into the woods to disappear.

New Seattle, 2077 // Ash is on a mission. Rescue the professor—his mentor who figured out the secret to time travel—so together they can put things right in their devastated city. But searching for one man means endless jumps through time with no guarantee of success.

When Dorothy collides with Ash, she sees it as her chance to start fresh—she’ll stow away in his plane and begin a new life wherever they land. Then she wakes up in a future that’s been ripped apart by earthquakes and floods; where vicious gangs rule the submerged city streets and a small group of intrepid travelers from across time are fighting against the odds to return things to normal. What Dorothy doesn’t know is that she could hold the key to unraveling the past—and her arrival may spell Ash’s ultimate destruction.

My thoughts:  A girl from the distant past, a boy from the distant future, and a band of time travelers trying to set things right---LOVE the sound of all this! Plus, very cool detail on the cover if you look closely! So pretty!

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

Book Birthdays! {July 18, week 1}

It's Book Birthday time!!

In this weekly post, I talk about a few of the books I'm excited to read that are hitting shelves this week.  Are you with me on any of these? Are there books coming out you're running to the store or stalking your mailman for that I haven't mentioned here?  Hey, feel free to comment and sell me on them! :D

And don't forget to enter down below for a chance to win ANY July YA book your little heart desires! 🎁

Smoke and Iron

by Rachel Caine

This series has long been on my to-read list! Alchemy, a power struggle, and an ancient library. Sounds amazing to me! Plus these books are so darn pretty---I'd collect them just to look gorgeous on my shelves! xD
{Berkley Books}
Amazon  •   BookDepository

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe
by Lauren James

This one has me intrigued just on the sheer mind-boggling concept of being completely alone floating around in space. o.O I'm curious who this mysterious boy (also floating along in space!!) will turn out to be! 

{HarperTeen}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

Kiss of the Royal 
by Lindsey Duga

The battle against darkness can be won with the power of a kiss?? Curious to dive into this one an find out more about this magical power that is transfered and wielded with a smooch. ;) 

{Entangled Teen}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

 

Game of Secrets
by Kim Foster

Victorian London, magical power, a secret boarding school for the Queen's spies?? Pretty much all things that will, even on their own, make me pick up a book. And to have them all together? Yes, please!

{Sky Pony Press}

Amazon   •   Book Depository

It's July, people!! The year is half over?? What have been some of your favorites reads so far this year?

*       *       *       *       *  

Enter to win any YA book published in July 2018!

(note: this is the same giveaway entry form in all book birthday posts for the month.)

One winner will win a YA July 2018 release of their choice! *see note below
• Contest ends July 31st, 2018 at 11:59 PM
• Must be 13 or older.
• Open internationally. *International winners will be required to choose a book that is available through BookDepository.com or Fishpond.com up to $20 value.
•Extra entries can be earned by commenting on any BOOK BIRTHDAY POSTS or  REVIEWS, and can be done once per post. Come back throughout July whenever you comment on our reviews and get your extra points!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf {review}

Bring Me Their Hearts
by Sara Wolf
♦publisher: Entangled Teen
♦release date: June 5th, 2018
♦hardcover 400 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Bring Me Their Hearts, book 1
♦source: ARC received from publisher for review consideration

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.

Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.

Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.

So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.

Winner takes the loser’s heart.

Literally.

{My thoughts}

Readers, Bring Me Their Hearts is exactly how I like my fantasy: a little on the lighter side, great complicated characters, some imaginative world-building, and a few great laughs.  This book was such a fun adventure and I left me absolutely dying for more. 

So, see that smirk on the cover? It pretty much sums up the main character Zera to perfection. So. Much. Sass. But luckily that's not all there is to her. Nobody likes a wise-ass without a little depth and sinister backstory, right? Zera is a Heartless, which means she was created by and serves a witch, has a ragingly violent inner impulse, and a very bloody diet. The Witches decide to use her in a plot to gain the upper hand in their war and are willing to give her and her friends their freedom if she succeeds. So off to court she goes, to win the heart of the prince...and rip it out of his chest and turn him Heartless, too. 

I loved the way this world and society is built--very fantastical with a little steampunk and alchemy mixed in. While there are some details that left me a little confused, I really can't wait to be even further immersed into it's inner workings as the series continues. The villain was just a little two dimensional, but every single other character was absolutely intriguing, even those like the King who we only get a brief glimpse of. Once Zera meets Lucien, so begins the incredible conflict...will she kill him or won't she? It's a high price for her either way.  Lucien matches her in wit 100% and it was wildly entertaining watching each and every one of their interactions. His guard is also hilariously snarky and turned out to be one of my favorite characters. I could go on, there are several other noteworthy characters, but I'll leave them for you to discover! 

The ending, ahh, the ending. Be prepared, it's one heck of a cliffhanger---literally had me clutching the pages hard enough to wrinkle them and in the last moment all I could say was "WHAT???" (In a good way! In a "please, book, don't rip my heart out this way" kind of way) Needless to say, I need book two right now. :)

•ABOUT THE AUTHOR•

Sara Wolf is a twenty-something author who adores baking, screaming at her cats, and screaming at herself while she types hilarious things. When she was a kid, she was too busy eating dirt to write her first terrible book. Twenty years later, she picked up a keyboard and started mashing her fists on it and created the monster known as the Lovely Vicious series. She lives in San Diego with two cats, a crippling-yet-refreshing sense of self-doubt, and not enough fruit tarts ever.

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •   INSTAGRAM

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon